BUYER'S
GUIDELINES
How do I bid
?
To bid in MSTC Auction, you
will have to be a registered buyer. For registration you have
to log into MSTC Auction Web site and click the button for
registering. You have to fill a form and submit it. You will
have to remember the user id and password which you have
entered. This will be required for bidding. Your login will
not be activated and you will not be able to bid unless you
pay your registration fee (off line). After the payment is
made your login will be activated and you will be allowed to
bid.
How many auctions can I
bid on?
There
is no limit to the number of auctions you can bid. So long an
auction is active you can bid as many as you like.
What
is the difference between straight bidding and automatic
bidding ?
You can bid on an item by straight
bidding or automatic bidding (automatic bidding is also
referred to as "proxy bidding").
Straight
bidding :
Enter an amount higher than the
current winning bid and click the bid button. Your bid will be
accepted.
Automatic bidding (Proxy
Bidding) :
Automatic bidding places bids on
your behalf at pre specified increments. Simply enter your
maximum bid (the highest amount you are willing to pay), and
the increment amount.
What are the bid
increments ?
Any new bid must be greater than
the current high bid. The minimum additional amount you're
required to add on the previous bid is called the bid
increment.
Can I cancel my bid
?
After you place a bid on the auction item
page, you cannot cancel the bid. So before you bid, be very
careful whether you are willing to bid or you have the
sufficient fund to purchase the item in case you win the bid.
What is a reserve price?
The
reserve price is the lowest price the seller is willing to
accept for the auction item. In fact the seller puts reserve
price for every item he posts before the starting of an
auction.
How do I know that my bid was
accepted?
During the bidding process, you will
see the highest bid on the Bid page. If your bid is the
highest, the page will show you the highest bid. (This doesn't
mean that you've won the auction, only that your bid is
currently the highest bid. To win, the auction must close
without any higher bids.)
I've been
outbid! What should I do ?
You have to be
vigil on the auction floor. Once you find that a bid has
appeared which is higher than the bid you made, you have to
re-bid.
How do I ask the seller a question
?
You can email the seller. In fact it will be
little required in the context of auction floated in MSTC
Auction site as you have to contact MSTC with queries on any
auction. MSTC acts as a facilitator of its principal (seller)
for conducting its auction.
I won the auction. What do
I do next ?
You will be informed by email when
you win an auction. You will have to pay the requisite amount
as material value for the bid you won to MSTC (off line). MSTC
will provide you with Delivery Order which you have to show to
the seller for collecting the material.
How do
I contact the seller ?
You will be informed by
email when you win an auction. You will have to pay the
requisite amount as material value for the bid you won to MSTC
(off line). MSTC will provide you with Delivery Order which
you have to show to the seller for collecting the
material.
Where and how do I send
payment ?
You have to make the payment to any
of the region / branches of MSTC (offline) unless specified
otherwise.
What if I receive something
materially different from the auction description
?
It is the duty of the buyer to physically
inspect the materials at the sellers location prior to the
auction start.
How do I rate the seller
?
It is through your personal experience in
dealing with the seller that you can rate the
seller.
SELLERS'
GUIDELINES
How do I submit an item
for auction ?
Selling an item on MSTC Auctions is
easy. To submit an item in MSTC Auction, you will have to be a
registered seller. For registration you have to log into MSTC
Auction Web site and click the button for registering. You
have to fill a form and submit it. You will have to remember
the user id and password which you have entered. This will be
required for all operations related to your auction. After
entering into agreement with MSTC (offline) your login will be
activated and you can submit your auction and the items
pertaining to the auction. Items will be posted by MSTC but if
you desire to do it yourself, you are free to do
so.
How do I add a photo to my listing
?
Scanned images of the item to be sold can be
sent to MSTC for inclusion and display along with the material
list.
What am I not allowed to sell
?
Here's a list of some of the types
of items that generally are not allowed on MSTC Auctions.
- Copyright or Trademark-Sensitive
Goods
- Counterfeit or Knock-Off
Goods
- Items Subject to Embargo
- Hate Materials
- Live Animals
- Goods Made From Protected
Animal/Plant Species
- Recalled Goods
- Hacking/Surveillance/Interception/Descrambling
Equipment
- Cigarettes
- Illegal Drugs and
Paraphernalia
- Prescription Drugs and Medicl
Devices
- Body Parts and Bodily
Fluids
- Stolen Products and Items Used
for Theft
- Fireworks, Explosives, and
Hazardous Materials
- Government IDs
- Police Items
- Stocks and Securities
- Gambling Items
- Services
- Individual Contracts
- Non-Transferrable Items
- Non-Packaged Food Items
- Weapons
Where can I monitor all my
auction activity ?
You can monitor your
auction activity by logging into using your login and
password. You can view the bidding history of the live
auctions, reserve prices (Reserve Price can only be viewed by
Seller and no one else), and other features. However you will
be auto emailed once the auction ends with detail information
on the auction (Highest Bidder, Subject to Approval items,
Rejected Items).
Can I edit my auction after it
starts ?
You will not be allowed to edit any
item once the auction starts.
How do I cancel
bids in my auction ?
You cannot cancel a bid.
But you can restrict a buyer from bidding. For that you have
to contact MSTC and make a formal request to lock the specific
buyer's bidding.
How do I close or cancel my
auction ?
You cannot close / cancel your
auction once it starts. You can cancel your auction prior to
the starting of the auction. For that you have to contact MSTC
and make a formal request to cancel the
auction.
How do I answer a bidder's question
?
Bidder's question that will come to you by
email can be answered by clicking the 'Reply' button present
in your email client you are using.
My auction
closed with a winner. What do I do next ?
On
closing of the auction you will be intimated about the winner.
The winner will also get an email stating what he has to do.
He will contact MSTC and MSTC will handover him the Delivery
Order after getting the requisite material value. The winner
will approach you with the Delivery Order for allowing him to
lift the material.
My auction closed, can I
resubmit ?
The question of resubmit comes when
you will not find a buyer that may arise due to the following
reasons. i) Nobody submitted any bid. ii) The highest
bid amount is lower than the reserve price. iii) Withdrawal
of an item prior to auction.
On your request MSTC will
arrange for re-auctioning.
How do I contact the
winning bidder ?
On closing of the auction the
winner will get an email stating that he has won the item and
what he has to do. He will contact MSTC and MSTC will handover
him the Delivery Order after getting the requisite material
value. The winner will approach you with the Delivery Order
for allowing him to lift the material.
What if
a bidder backs out ?
a) If the bidder backs
out after becoming the successful bidder the login of the
defaulting bidder will be deactivated and the bidder will not
be allowed to take part in any other auction in
future. b)If the successful bidder backs out after
depositing EMD/Security Deposit, the EMD/Security Deposit as
submitted by the bidder in default shall be forfeited and
remitted to you after deduction of our proportionate service
charges.
What if my Reserve Price is not met
?
If the reserve price has not been met by
close of auction, the auction closes without a winning bidder.
If the bid price matches the limits specified for inclusion in
Subject To Approval (STA), then the same shall be shown under
STA category and you will be informed about that. In this case
you have to convey the acceptability of the bid amount or
otherwise of the bid value to MSTC as well as the bidder
within 3 days (Excluding holidays) of the close of the
auction. On your request MSTC will arrange for inclusion of
the unsold item in your next auction.
How do I
rate a bidder ?
There are various reports
available by which you can rate a bidder.
I
received a complaint against my auction. What does this mean
?
The complaint may be on the item or on the
process of auction. The item to be physically inspected by the
buyer before bidding and the buyer should not complain. The
process of auction is a proven one and there should be no
complaint on the auction process. Any other complaint should
be mutually resolved either by you or MSTC or
both.
How can I promote my auctions and get
more bids ?
As a seller, you want to attract
bidders to your auction to get a higher price. Here are some
suggestions to help to attract more attention to your auction.
Feature your auction: You can highlight your auction
in the page by special agreement with MSTC.
Describe
your item in detail: The more information you can give about
your item, the more bidders will bid with confidence since
they know exactly what they are getting. Be sure to include
information like condition and size of the item.
Add a
photo: Seeing is believing. Generally, auctions with images
have higher sell-through.
Place your auction in the
correct category: Many users like to browse through our
categories. Placing your auction in the appropriate category
increases the likelihood of interested bidders viewing it.
How do I blacklist a bidder
?
You can blacklist a buyer from bidding. For
that you have to contact MSTC and make a formal request to
blacklist the specific buyer.
Is there a
notification system for auctions ?
Yes.
Forthcoming auctions are notified to registered buyers. Among
other notifications the auto notfication to the winner and
seller needs appreciation.
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